SBA Office of Advocacy - An independent voice for small business within the federal government, the watchdog for the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) and the source of small business statistics.

SBA's Women's Business Center - Find the Women's Business Center, designed to assist women in starting and growing small businesses, nearest you.

Disaster Preparedness Plan – Statistics show that if a small business cannot resume operations within 10 days of a natural disaster, it will most likely close its doors permanently. The information provided in this document will help you make sure you are well prepared for whatever comes your way.

News/Media Resources

The Wall Street Journal - Start-up information and databases of businesses for sale and venture capital. Wealth in the form of money or assets, taken as a sign of the financial strength of an individual, organization, or nation, and assumed to be available for development or investment.

Inc.com - The online magazine for entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Import/Export Resources

SBA Exporting - SBA provides counseling, training and financing to small businesses looking to increase sales and profit by taking their businesses global.

Office of International Trade - Many exported and imported products are regulated by federal agencies. If you export or import the following types of products, you may be required to obtain specific licenses and permits or complete additional paperwork.

Export.gov - The primary federal government exporting site to better serve beginning exporters.

Centers for International Trade Development (CITDs) - CITDs are the state's top source of trade assistance. CITDs offer a variety of free or low-cost programs & services to assist local companies in doing business abroad. These include one-on-one technical assistance and consulting, market research, training and educational programs, trade leads and special events.

Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Codes - If you know the SIC code for your business or industry, you can research employment, productivity, import/export, etc., for that industry. SIC codes were established in the 1930s primarily to help measure and compare statistical information.

North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) - A more detailed classification system that covers the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, NAICS codes allow for closer comparisons than SIC codes. Almost all business research is easier if you know your SIC and NAICS codes (some agencies and publications, including the SEC, still use SIC).

Tradeport- Comprehensive international trade information, trade leads, and company databases. Guides you through the export process.

Business Dictionary.com - It can be hard to understand the associated terms and concepts. With over 20,000 definitions, search this site for a specific term, or choose a general category and read a definition for any word.

SCORE - The Service Corp of Retired Executives offers informational sites along with online expertise in starting and owning a business.

Government Resources

Business Matchmaking - The naton's premier public-private initiative supporting procurement opportunities for small business in every industry.

Procurement Opportunities for your Small Business – If you have been considering contracting your services to the procurement marketplace, this webinar, hosted by the Northern California SBDC, tells you all you need to know about resources and leads for business matchmaking with federal, state, and local government agencies, how to prepare for a business matchmaking conference, how to get paid, ect.

Federal Business Opportunities - The single government point-of-entry (GPE) for Federal government procurement opportunities over $25,000. Government buyers are able to publicize their business opportunities by posting information directly to FedBizOpps via the Internet and commercial vendors seeking Federal markets for their products and services can search, monitor, and retrieve opportunities solicited by the entire Federal contracting community.

Human Resources and Payroll

California Business Resources

Bay Area Council- The Bay Area Council is a business-sponsored, public-policy advocacy organization for the nine-county Bay Area. It proactively advocates for a strong economy, a vital business environment, and a better quality of life for everyone.

California Chamber of Commerce - The California Chamber of Commerce is the largest, broad-based business advocate working at the state and federal levels to influence government actions affecting all California business. This site links to local chambers of commerce.

California Department of Consumer Affairs — Licensing and Permit Information - Information on types of state licenses required and how to obtain them. DCA licenses in more than 100 business and 200 professional categories, including doctors, dentists, contractors, cosmetologists and automotive repair facilities. It includes 40 regulatory entities that establish minimum qualifications and levels of competency for licensure. They also license, register, or certify practitioners, investigate complaints and discipline violators.

California Employer Advisory Council- The CEAC and local Employer Advisory Councils (EAC) are recognized and accepted by employers and government as the premier information resources for the employer perspective on employment and other workforce development issues.

California Labor Market Information- Information by geographical area, subject or industry including occupational and career information, employment by industry, wages, and industrial classifications.

Sonoma County Economic Development Board Resources- The Sonoma County Economic Development Board (EDB) provides information and referral services to help local businesses to start up, succeed, and grow. Site includes a Business Assistance Guide, Resource Guide, International Resource Guide, Doing Business with the County, Expanding/Relocating in Sonoma County.

Documents/Forms

Financial Templates - This Excel workbook has a 12 month P&L statement, creates a breakeven analysis, a cash flow projection, and a balance sheet from the data you enter into the P&L. It is based on the handouts from our Financial Pre-Venture Workshop.

Living Wage Estimate - This is an excel spreadsheet where you can enter your personal expenses and the spreadsheet will estimate how much you need to make each month to cover your financial oblibations. It can also calculate how much cash flow per hour you need to cover your draw and taxes.

State Small Business Guide - This publication identifies the key sites for small businesses interested in doing business with the state and finding financial resources offered by the state government.

​iReuse – Recycling service for businesses to be notified about local, used furniture and supplies for their offices. Great for new or expanding small business, and sometimes free for non-profits.

Costs of Merchant Processing – An overview of the cost drivers for merchant processing; describes how merchant processors categorize merchants and defines the most common types of fees assessed by merchant processors.

Moving Your Business Online – The Internet can seem like a daunting place when considering moving your business online. This checklist will help you enter the online business world and give you access to customers you may have never been able to target.

EMV Chip Informational Webinar - Learn all about EMV chip technology: what chip technology is, how it works, what the impacts are to merchants who accept payment cards at their businesses, and what these businesses need to do to be prepared.

Shopify's Free Business Resources - Shopify offers free business tools to help you run your business. Currently there are 21 tools to assist small business with creating templates for bills of lading, shipping labels, purchase orders to calculators for business loans, profit margins and advertising campaigns.

U.S. Department of Labor- The Department of Labor provides compliance assistance to small business through “elaws”, an interactive exchange that allows small business owners to ask questions about labor laws.

U.S. Federal Trade Commission - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission enforces federal consumer protection laws that prevent fraud, deception and unfair business practices. The FTC offers creative, practical, plain-language business education publications that are a cost-effective and business-friendly way to obtain compliance with the law.

U.S. Small Business Administration - Valuable information on federal programs for small businesses as well as loan program details. Complete listing of SBDC’s throughout the country.

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Resources

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Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA or HSU Sponsored Programs Foundation.